Sandbox III: Revenge of the Sandbox

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SCP Sandbox

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SCP-2722 was first discovered in January of 2017, after Site-19 received an apparent distress signal originating from Trans-Neptunian space. The message was as follows.

This is the Daitaihomaru sending an automated distress beacon. Approximately 90% of crew is lost. Life support systems are non-functional. Respond to receive payload. This message will repeat.

After two months of deliberation within the O5 Council, a 7-6 vote to allow a response to be transmitted. By this time, SCP-2722 had reached its current position orbiting Titan.

Daitaihomaru, this is Dr. Kirk. We read you.

At this point, an object was launched from SCP-2722, bound for Earth at high speeds. It arrived on April 1st, 2017, impacting in a field near Nagano, Japan. Civilian sources identified this payload as a crashed satellite, allowing Foundation personnel embedded within JAXA to recover it. This payload contained over 50 instances of SCP-2722-A-1.

Testing with these objects commenced on April 5th. Once activated, SCP-2722-A-1 opened a passage into SCP-2722, creating a vacuum which caused large amounts of damage to the testing chamber.

Upon discovery, SCP-2722 was on emergency oxygen supplies, necessitating the use of a vacuum chamber to enter and prototype space suits to explore. MTF-Zeta-9 ("Mole Rats") entered the ship, accompanied by a pair of NASA technicians who have previously worked on various space stations.

Notes: A security camera within the chamber where SCP-2722-A-1 was tested was detached by the vacuum created, and entered SCP-2722 through the portal. On battery power, it briefly broadcasted an image of the interior of SCP-2722, which appeared to display non-Euclidean properties, necessitating the use of Zeta-9 to conduct an exploration. Zeta-9 members were given luminescent chalk to mark their path throughout the ship.

Z9-Cap: You do realize that everything that happens here remains classified.

Z9-Tech-2: Of course. Unfortunately. Uh. Z9-Tech-2 picks up an SCP-2722-A-1 instance So, I just say what's on here and then throw it at the wall?

Z9-Cap: Affirmative. We don't know how good the signal will be through the portal, so be careful.

Z9-Tech-2: All right. 'As long as there are stars in our skies, evermore shall the Solidarity rise.'

Z9-Tech-2 throws the SCP-2772-A-1 instance against the wall, upon which it shatters and forms the portal into SCP-2722's common area.

Z9-Tech-2: Holy shit.

Z9-3: Okay, mic's working. Goddamn.

Z9-2: Ladies first.

Z9-1: Don't be an ass, Mitchell. In we go.

Z9 team enters the portal. Cameras show a large common area, with signs of recent habitation. Several food wrappers litter the floor in a large pit in the ground. Several couches, chairs, and food wrappers float due to a lack of gravity.

Z9-Cap: Proceed into the pit. I want a better look at the wrappers.

Z9-1: Affirmative.

Z9-2 and -3 proceed into the pit. Z9-3 extends a grabber to pick up a wrapper, holding it up to the camera. The wrapper reads 'Orange Juice Ration', and has the Foundation's seal on it.

Z9-3: The fuck?

Z9-2: The transmission did say it was an SCPS. That's the same designation we give our watercraft.

Z9-Tech-2: Sounds like an automated alarm. Anyone see a terminal of any kind?

Z9-2: Negative. Let's move further in.

Z9-3: Let me get a couple of more samples.

After three minutes, Z9 moves further into the ship. Radio contact is lost at this point. All transmissions beyond this point were recovered from the data logs of the suits post-mission.

Z9-4: Command? Can you hear me? Command?

Z9-3: Shit. Comms are dead.

Z9-4: We can still hear each other. Hey, look. Z9-4 points a flashlight at a series of signs on the wall; the signs are electronic, and flicker between English, Japanese, Russian, and an unknown script. From top to bottom, the signs read "Bridge", "Drive", "Power Core", "Jumpy", and "Life Support". No directional markers (such as arrows) are present.

Z9-2: Power Core?

Z9-2 reaches out and touches the sign. As they do so, a series of lights extends along the walls. The sign changes to read "Power Core, 32 km"

Z9-2: What the?

Z9-Tech-1: 'This way to the power core', I assume.

Z9-3: 32 Kilometers? You're joking, right?

Z9-2: Check out the floor.

Z9-2 taps the floor with their boots; it appears to be made of rubber. A roller, similar to a conveyor belt, is exposed.

Z9-2: Seems like an automatic walkway, like in airports. Guess it's off cause of—

Z9-Tech-2 attempts to access further files. Downloads are interrupted by the appearance of a logo depicting a stylized black rabbit. A female voice replays the phrase "Ah-ah-ah, you didn't say the magic word" ad nauseum.

Z9-Tech-2: Hit a firewall, but managed to get some stuff.

Z9-Tech-1: Well, good news is, power core's not broken, just shut down. We need to reboot it, so things are gonna get dark here when emergency power goes offline.

Z9-Tech-2: Okay, I think I see a reset button here. Pushing it.

All power on SCP-2722 goes offline for several seconds. A screen within the power core room lights up, showing a loading screen indicating progress on the reboot.

Broadcast System: Reboot in progress. Ninety-seven hours remaining.

Z9-1: Well, fuck. Our O2 doesn't have that much left in it.

Z9-2: Head back to the entrance? I can still see the chalk marks, so nothing's eaten them.

Z9-4:Yeah. Suit, deactivate magnetic soles.

Z9 begins returning to base, and arrives at the entrance in approximately an hour and twelve minutes.

The following files were recovered from Z9-Tech-2's tablet. All voices, unless noted, are female with a slight Japanese inflection. Despite being mp4 files, only audio streams are available.

Okay, finally got this hunk of junk to work. Day 672, and… well, fuck. That's really all I can say.

That egg Hana found in the Bazaar a month ago? It hatched. And we have no idea what the fuck it is. Nine limbs, no heart or stomach, it's just… we can't figure it out. The person we liberated it from said it was something called a "Jumper". So, naturally, we're calling it "Jumpy".

It keeps on teleporting around the ship. It doesn't ever seem to leave it, which is good. What's less good is that it seems to be bringing things back with it that weren't there. Case in point: on my desk right now, I have 'Mountain Dew Vanilla', which is just as disgusting as it sounds. Jumpy brought an entire case of it back through with the last jump.

I'm afraid that he's going to take something with him. It's not hypocritical to say we need to contain this.

Female Voice: Okay, no offense, but the name, rank and serial number bit got old a while ago. You're a Skipper who's skipped into the wrong dimension, we know that much. But we'd like a little more information.

Male Voice: Lieutenant Stephen—

Female Voice: Okay, let's try piece-for-piece. You've told me your name thirty or forty times, now I'll tell you something. This is the Daitaihomaru. We own this ship. You used to— probably not in your universe.

Male Voice: What did you do to bring me here?

Female Voice: We didn't do anything. Jumpy brought you here, and if we could send you back, believe me, we would.

Male Voice: 'Jumpy'. The nonapod is named 'Jumpy'. Jesus Christ, I'm being interrogated by a cat—

Male Voice: Whatever. This— god, I'm not even supposed to be here. I got assigned to prep the Solidarity for destruction.

Female Voice: Destroy the— why?

Male Voice: It crashed on the moon— or rather, in the moon. There was this huge organic mass it impacted in, made gibs of whatever it was. It could be seen from Earth, so we had to get rid of it. Of course, I vanished while trying to remove the plaque on the bridge—

Female Voice: What plaque?

Male Voice: Doesn't matter. Point is, now that I've vanished, it's going to be more complicated to get rid of.

Female Voice: Y'know, there's a reason we hate you. What you've just described is a big one— huge scientific event lands in your laps, and you want to cover it up. Still, you're talking, so you get to eat. Footsteps are heard. Okay… chicken?

Almost two years we've been on here. My sisters and Wizard are all… well, they're my family. But I'm kinda lonely. We've been able to make landfall on a few planets, but we kind of end up blowing things up every time.

Stephen's got his own bunk now— Boss keeps on calling it a cell, but as it turns out, he has clearance to access systems on this ship none of us knew about. So, uh. We got a skipper on the crew. He doesn't really work for them anymore, since he got booted from his universe.

Sighing is heard.

He's at least interesting to talk to. I've been exploring the ship with this new telemetry system we developed.

Found a few things the Foundation left behind. Including a… book. Completely blank, looks like diary. It's not retaining anything I write in it. Wizard thinks it might be jinxed.

At least it lets me draw in it. I can never get the shape of Wizard's helmet right— it's just a circle, but for some reason… sighing Oh well.

We get the stupid fucking Jumper going away and bringing us back AN ENTIRE SECOND SHIP!

There is a loud rumbling and creaking in the background.

Shit! God, yeah, it's shaking, but the guys on the other ship are trying to stabilize it. It, uh. It kind of intercepted— intersected the Daitaihomaru. It's trippy, looking up and seeing people look down at you hanging upside-down. Artificial gravity works in both directions. It… goddamn. I feel like I'm on a fucking… not Dyson sphere, wassitcalled?

This is fuckin' insane. The guys on the other ship aren't Foundation, either, which thank fuckin' god! The replicator's been testy about giving us more ammo. They're fuckin' Mormons! They took over the ship to find a planet from their scripture! That's amazing!

Loud laughter is heard.

We need some religious diversity on this ship. I'm going to make a church dedicated to J█████ J██████. Sugi ni omae wa 'This log will end' to iu!2

As it turns out, the Replicator can make new rooms. Jumpy's just been put into one that we made specifically for it. He's… gotten big. Way too big, way too fast.

I managed to find some stuff on the person we 'liberated' (Boss's term, not mine) Jumpy from. For one thing, they grew Jumpy out of about twenty different extraterrestrial species. Some of them don't even have the same nucleotides. This thing wasn't meant to live, and I'm not entirely sure why it was made. I've… even found some human in it, which is disturbing.

There is a short pause.

I wish Wizard wasn't sick. He knows about bio stuff like this. I'm just getting what I can understand from the ship and a few of the new additions. Who knew Mormons had geneticists?

Things have been getting screwy ever since it hatched, and I don't— I don't think we can keep it on the ship anymore. Boss agrees— she's tried to jettison it a couple of times, but it just appears back on the ship, usually with something else.

We've got a crew of fifty now. More, soon— a couple on the last ship Jumpy brought in were pregnant. With twins. We've got maybe five or six Daitaihomarus making up one ship. We keep getting lost.

Wizard got lost pretty badly last week. We were only able to find him using his beacon. He's getting old, and the replicator can't make the right parts he needs.

I'm scared.

End log.

Approximately four days following the initial excursion int SCP-2722, a second expedition was launched. At this time, life support and artificial gravity had been restored; however, as a precaution, MTF-Zeta-9 remained in their space suits, in case SCP-2722 again encountered life support failure, and again used the vacuum chamber as the point of ingress.

Z9-Tech-1 steps forward and presses the 'Habitation' sign. When they do, the floor beneath their feet creates a platform with guard rails for them to stand on, large enough to accomadate six people.

Z9-2: So much for the 'airport floor' theory.

All six members of Z9 alight onto the platform. When they do, the guardrail seals behind them, and the platform begins to move. Spedometers within the suits register speeds of over 200km/h

Z9-3: Holy shit!

Z9-4: Brace yourselves! Corner coming up!

Gravity on the platform temporarily cancels itself when the corner appears, causing the platform to ride along the wall, before returning to the floor.

Z9-Tech-1: What the fuck?!

Z9-Tech-2: That was a localized gravity cancellation. That kind of tech is too big to fit onto something like this.

The platform comes to a stop in front of a door marked "Habitation", before it dissolves into the floor.

Z9-1: Okay. We're walking back.

Z9-3: No objections here.

Z9 proceeds to the doorway, weapons drawn. Z9-2 pauses at the door, looking a the frame.

Z9-2: There's writing here— graffiti. I can make some of it out.

Graffiti Sample:

*Lift to here is fucked. Goes at over 350 on a good day. I have bruises on my eyelids. (English)

*We'll get one of the Engineers to fix it. (Cyrillic)

*When did we get that lift? (Japanese)

It just kind of appeared last week. (Unknown script; due to unknown properties aboard SCP-2722, all written language is able to be comprehended.)

*Well that's not good. (English)

Z9-2: What the hell? I can read this, but I don't speak Russian.

29-3: Probably memetic or something. C'mon, door's open.

The Habitation Sector is largely grey in color, but with several adornments made, including a mural depicting the destruction of the Foundation's seal, several wilting flowers, and a monitor that is playing broadcasts from Earth.

The Habitats themselves are arranged along the walls of a horizontal cylinder, on the floor, walls, and ceiling. A door in the ceiling hangs open, and items inside are visible, maintaining their position on the "floor" of that room.

Z9-Tech-1: How the fuck?

Z9-2: Hold on. I'm gonna try something.

Z9-2 begins climbing the wall of the sector, unassisted by their magnetic soles. They arrive on the ceiling, maintaining their posture.

Z9-Tech-2: Omnidirectional artificial gravity. I'll be damned.

Z9-Tech-1: Makes sense. The station's spinning to maintain gravity, so some parts of it are going to have this feature. Looks like they exploited it to build rooms.

Z9-2 walks to the open room and enters it, experiencing a shift in gravity as they walk into the room— the floor of the room is down, and the exterior of the room is now sideways relative to them.

Z9-Tech-1: Though that's harder to explain.

Z9-2's camera shows the inside of a room with a single bed, signs of cohabitation by two or more individuals. A photograph at the back of the room shows a human female and an unidentified animal with canine, octopodal and humanoid features in a forested environment, with stars behind glass in the background. A whistling sound is heard from a kettle on a nearby stove.

At this point, a strong electromagnetic pulse is detected, disabling all of Z9's gear.

Fifty minutes later, the equipment reboots itself. Z9 is heard, but not seen. Equipment seems to have been placed into a locker.

Z9-1: —'d like to help, but we can't.

Unidentified Female: Look at this for a second.

A sound of rustling paper is heard.

Unidentified Female: This is the crew manifest. I'm the only one still listed here as active. Everyone else is gone, or else is purposefully making themselves hidden. My sisters are all gone. And then there's this.

A rustling of clothing is heard.

Z9-Tech-2: Jesus! Is- is that a bomb?!

Unidentified Female: Worse. We were only grown to last so long— planned obsolescence, like we're a goddamn Microsoft OS. We're reaching our limit and… we always knew we were going to die. I want to at least do it together.

Z9-Tech-1: The other day, you computer said there were twelve lifeforms aboard. Us makes seven.

Unidentified Female: A lot can happen in four days. They're still alive, but not sure for how much longer.

Z9-3: We're on a ship spaceship, being held hostage by a woman with cat ears and Tortoiseshell hair who came from another universe.

Unidentified Woman: Calico.

Z9-3: Can I go back to trying not to die in the middle of that labyrinth under Central Park?

The woman sighs.

Unidentified Woman: Look. I'm not going to lie: I hate your organization, and everything it stands for. You kept us locked up for almost a year before we broke out and stole her. We're a family, and the company charter says we don't leave anyone behind— we already lost Wizard. Help us die together, and you get the ship.

Unidentified Woman: And before you ask: your weapons are all in the reactor, all weapons made by the ship are designed to not be able to shoot any of us.

Z9-1: Fuck. All right. I don't suppose you'll be telling us your name?

Unidentified Woman: Nope.

Z9-1: You want us to just call you, what, Calico?

2085-A: …back home, you called us 2085. I guess 2085-A will do. For now.

Footnotes

1. This name and serial number corresponds to a member of Mobile Task Force Sigma-12.

2. Japanese, translates to "You're next going to say 'this log will end'."